Plumbing fixture with preformed trapway



Gct'. 6, 1364i w; a.L CHA-SE; EELS-393? Hammam@ wmwmmnmsm Tamm sima@ um we@ INV ENHOR United States Patent() 3,151,339 PLUMBING FIXTURE WITH PREFORMED TWAY Wayne R. Chase, Louisville, Ky., assignor to American Radiator @t Standard Sanitary Corporation, New York,

NX., a corporation of Deiaware Filed Nov. 1, 1962, Ser. No. 234,716 7 Claims. (Cl. 4-69) This invention relates to plumbing fixtures and to a method for manufacturing plumbing fixtures having a preformed trapway joined to the main housing of the fixture.

Heretofore plumbing fixtures, such as toilet bowl assemblies or water closets have been made with the trapway formed integral with the main housing of the fixture. Such plumbing iixtures are generally made from a vitreous china which is cast in a mold. Manufacturing such fixtures presents many problems due to the trapway having an intricate configuration. Under present manufacturing practices, the water closet is made up of several components which are joined together to obtain the configuration desired. Due to the small and inaccessible portions of the trapway, it is not always possible to consistently achieve the exact trapway configurations desired.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to avoid and overcome these manufacturing and construction difficulties by providing a plumbing fixture having a preformed trapway which is joined to the housing of the plumbing fixture.

Another object is to provide a plumbing fixture having a preformed trapway to thereby eliminate the necessity of having to form the trapway integral with the housing of the plumbing fixture.

A further object is to provide a plumbing fixture which is lighter in weight and easier and less expensive to manufacture than known prior art plumbing fixtures.

Yet a further object is to provide a plumbing fixture having a trapway in which the exact form and surface condition of the trapway can be obtained consistently.

Other objects and features of the invention will appear as the description of the particular physical embodiment selected to illustrate the invention progresses. In

Vthe accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specification, like characters of reference have been applied to corresponding parts throughout the drawing.

For a better understanding of the present invention reference should be had to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a sectional elevation of a toilet bowl as- Y sembly constructed according to the present invention showing a separately preformed trapway fitted to the toilet bowl housing.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a modified toilet bowl with the preformed trapway omitted for the sake of clarity.

FIGURE 3 is a partial sectional view showing one means for joining a preformed trapway to a toilet bowl outlet.

Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application, to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawing, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, f

prises a bowl 10, support stand 12, and flush water inlet Y' ice tion with a rim passage way 2t), extending around the upper edge of the bowl 10, and openings such as at 22 are provided in the rim passage way 20 for admitting flush water to the upper portion of the bowl 10. A passage way 24, in communication with passageway 20, is also provided for directing flush water past the bottom opening 26 of the bowl 1t) to effect a jet-like flushing action at the bottom 26 of the bowl.

Flush water passes from the passageway 24 and from the opening 26 at the bottom of the bowl 10 through an extension conduit 28 formed integrally with the toilet bowl assembly housing 15 to the trapway indicated generally at 30. As will be noted in the drawing, the trapway 30 initially directs the iiush Water upwardly, then through an approximately degree turn, and then downwardly to a separately external soil pipe connection (not shown).

The 180 degree lturn extends almost to the rear 33 of the bowl assembly housing 15 to thereby provide a wide sweep to the 180 degree turn. In the drawing, it is shown how the trapway outlet may be spaced from the rear 33 of the bowl assembly housing 15 to facilitate connecting the trapway outlet to the external drain leading therefrom. Ina wall hung water closet, the trapway would open out of the rear 33 of the water closet 'rather than through the bottom as shown in the draW- ings.

In order to eliminate the difficulties inherent in casting or forming the trapway 30 integral with the toilet bowl assembly housing 15 the trapway 3l) is made from a preformed tube 31. The trapway or preformed tube 31 conducts iiush water from the extension conduit 28 to a drain outlet 36 while maintaining a predetermined level of water inthe bowl 10 when it is not being flushed. Trapway 31 may be formed with any desirable configuration and may be made of any suitable material such as plastic, semi-rigid rubber, metal or vitreous china.

The bowl assembly housing is provided with a cavity 4d for the preformed tubing 31. The cavity 4i) extends above the Velevation of the opening 26 at the bottom of the bowl 10. Suitable means, depending on the type of materials employed, are provided for securing the tubing 31 to the housingIS within the cavity 4t). A watertight connection for a vitreous china trapway 31 may be provided by means of a suitable adhesive which could be applied before ring. 'v

Such other means for creating a watertight joint, which would preferably be used after thewater closet has been fired may include for example, fa conventional hose clamp 42 for connecting one end of the tubing 31 to the extension conduit 2S. The strap portion 44 of the clamp 42 presses the tubing 31 against the extension conduit 28 as the threaded member 46 of the clamp 42 is tightened-t0 thereby'provide a watertight seal. Access to the cavity for applying and tightening the clamp 44 may be provided by a suitable removable` panel 61. If desired, a sealing compound may be providedbetween the tubing 31 and the extension conduit 28.A Other means which might be used for securing the tubing 31 vto the extension conduit 28 with a watertight connection could be by using expandable gaskets, a flanged connection, a threaded coupling and other means which will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Another desirable-sealing device for joining the trapway with the extension 28 may be by means of a flexible tubular Velement 64 and intercalated therebetween and sealed thereto by suitable clamps 65 such as shown in FIGURE 3.

The end of the tubing 31 at the drain outlet 36 may terminate flush with the end of a short passageway 48 formed in the bowl assembly housing 15 Without requiring any clamping means. rl`he end of the tubing 31 may be held in place in the passageway 48 by adhesive, by providing a shrink tit, or by other suitable means.

The termination of the tubing at the end of the passageway 48 will not present any problems in connecting the drain outlet 36 to an external drain line since the end flange 56 may be pressed into a sealant iilled groove of a conventional drain line connection.

The housing i5 may be made by casting several sec tions which are joined to one another to thereby form a single integral housing. After a section having the conduit 28 formed thereon lis cast and the preformed trapway 31 is connected to the conduit 28 by the hose clamp 42, the rear portion dening the cavity 40 is cast. In this way the rear portion can be cast around the preformed trapway 31 and joined to the section having the conduit 28 and the entire housing assembly is subjected to final processing to form the completed housing into an integral unit.

Alternatively the trapway may be connected to the housing after the entire housing has been formed. In such a case a removable access panel 62 shown in FIG- URE 2 may be provided at the rear section of the housing 15a to facilitate installation and removal of the trapway. The access panel 62 may be secured to the housing 15a by connecting members (not shown) pass-ing through openings 63 in the housing 15a and the access panel 62.

If desired the outer wall of the tubing 31 (FIGURE l) may be provided with protuberances (not shown) which iit into indentations (not shown) in the inner walls of the cavity 40 for positioning and supporting the tubing 31 Within the cavity 40.

yFrom the above description it can be seen that the necessity of casting or forming an integral trapway with the bowl assembly housing 15 or 15a is eliminated. Instead, the bowl assembly'housing 15 or 15a merely is provided with a cavity 40 for the preformed trapway tube 31.

If desired, the tubing may be made of transparent piastic which would serve to give visual indication of plugging up of the trapway. To facilitate such vvisual indication, a removable panel 60 may be provided yat the side of the housing 15. The panel 60 may be held in place on the housing 15 by known means such as by providing a snap tit. i

Also, the bowl assembly housing 15 or 15a may be made of one material and the trapway of another material thereby making it possible to select materials which are best suited for each purpose. For example, the housing 15 may be made of plastic while the trapway 30 may be made of copper. Byusing these two materials, it is possible to obtain a light weight construction by the use of plastic for the housing and a corrosive resistant construction by the use of copper for the trapway. In this regard it is to be noted that although certain plastics aresubject to deterioration when exposed to water for long periods of time, it is possible to apply a protective coating to the bowl while it is very diflicult to apply such coating to a trapway due to its intricate configuration.

The use of a preformed tube makes it possible to obtain better flushing characteristics since the separately formed tube 31 may be made into desired sizes and shapes more readilygthan that which could be obtained if the trapway were formed integral with the housing 15. This is due tothe fact thatfthe material used for making the trapway may be selected based at least partially on its ability to be easily formed into the desired shape, and

As can be seen in the drawing, the extension conduit 28 and the portion 52 of the trapway 31 connected thereto cooperate to maintain a gentle sweep for conducting the flush water up over the approximately degree turn of the trapway while the 180 degree turn extends almost to the rear of the housing 15 to provide a conliguration which gives a siphoning action.

The bowl assembly housing 15 is provided with a front skirt 54 which enhances the overall appearance of the housing 15 and also serves as a support toot for the forward part of the housing. Support feet 56 and 58 are also provided at the rear and at an intermediate portion respectively, of the housing.

It will thus be evident I have provided a water closet and a method for making the same which is simple to manufacture, and is of a design that enables a trapway of the most eiicient design to be made. Heretofore, trapways had to be iitted into the manufacturing technique employed `and thus did not always result in trapways of the best construction. Likewise, the transparent view feature is a help in clearing a toilet once it has become clogged.

The invention hereinabove described may therefore be varied in construction within the scope of the claims, for the particular device selected to illustrate the invention is but one of many possible embodiments of the same. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted to the precise details of the structure shown and described.

What is claimed is:

1. A water closet assembly, comprising an integral housing having a portion formed as a bowl, and another portion formed as a base, each of said portions having rear extensions formed to define at least in part a cavity adjacent said bowl portion, said bowl portion having a waste Water outlet, a conduit extension formed integrally with said bowl portion and extending into said cavity, said rear extensionof said base portion having a waste water discharge opening therein, a preformed trapway of a generally inverted U-shaped conguration Awithin said houslng cavity, said trapway having one end arranged to form a continuation of said conduit extension, clamping means within said housing cavity connecting andv sealing said end of said trapway to said conduit extension, the other end of said trapway being arranged to terminate adjacent to said waste water discharge opening such that exit of waste water from the housing is facilitated by said waste water discharge opening, means on said extension of the housing base portion adjacent said waste water discharge opening facilitating connection of said housing vto an external conduit conducting Waste water from said trapway, and a cover carried on said bowl and base portions enclosing said cavity and concealing and providing access to said trapway and said clamping means within the cavity.

2. A plumbingiixture, comprising a housing having a downwardlyy converging wall forming a bowl, said wall terminating at the lower portion of the bowl to deiine a water outlet for the bowl, a conduit extension formed integrally with said housing and leading from said Water outlet, extending sections on said housing, a cover carried on said extending sections and cooperating therewith to define at least in part a cavity adjacent the bowl, a preformed trapway of a generally inverted VU-shaped configuration disposed within said cavity, clamping means wholly within said cavity clamping one end of the trapway to said conduit extension, means on one of said extending sections defining a waste discharge opening, means securing the other end of the trapway to said waste discharge opening whereby the trapway forms a path for waste water from the conduit extension externally of said cavity, means on the other of said extending sections adjacent said Waste discharge opening facilitating connection of said housing to an external conduit conducting waste water from said trapway, said trapway being insertable in said cavity with the cover removed to facilitate its installation within the housing.

3. A toilet bowl assembly as se forth in claim 2 wherein said clampin7 means comprises a tubular number between said conduit extension and the adjacent end of said trapway, and clamping members securing said tubular extension to the conduit extension and to said adjacent end of the trapway.

4. A water closet assembly, comprising a housing having a portion deining a bowl and another portion defining a support stand, said bowl portion having a waste water outlet at the bottom thereof, a conduit extension formed integrally with said bowl portion and leading generally transversely underneath said waste water outlet, a preformed trapway of a generally inverted U-shaped coniguration having one end arranged telescopically relative to said conduit extension, clamping means about said telescopically arranged conduit extension and said one end of said trapway supporting and sealing same to one another, said support stand having a rearwardly extending bottom wall provided with a waste water discharge opening, means supporting the other end of said trapway within said waste water discharge opening, means on stud bottom wall adjacent said waste water discharge opening facilitating connection of said housing to an external conduit conducting fluid from said trapway, and a cover carried on said bowl and support stand portions of said housing concealing and providing access to install said trapway and said clamping means within said housing.

5. A water cioset comprising a housing having a portion defining a bowl and another portion defining a base, said bowl portion having an upper rearwardly extending section, said rearwardly extending section having an inlet chamber receiving liush water to be used in flushing the water closet, said base portion having a rearwardly extending section underlying the rearwardly extending section of the bowl portion, a cover extending between said two sections and cooperating therewith to define the rear of a cavity, the front of said cavity being defined by the bowl and base portions proper, said rearwardly extending base section having a Waste water discharge opening at the bottom thereof communicating with said cavity, a waste water outlet means underneath said housing bowl portion communicating with said cavity, a preformed trapway of a generally inverted U-shaped configuration within said cavity having one end terminating generally adjacent said waste water outlet means and another end terminating generally adjacent said waste water discharge opening, clamping means wholly within said cavity securing said adjacently arranged end of the trapway to the waste water outlet means and providing a water tight seal therebetween, means securing the other end of said trapway to said waste water discharge opening such that huid flowing from the Waste water discharge means will liow through the trapway and exit through the waste water discharge opening, means on said rearwardly extending base section adjacent said waste water discharge opening facilitating connection of said housing to an external conduit conducting iuid from the Water closet, said trapway being adapted to be placed within and secured as aforesaid within said cavity by placing the trapway and clamping means within the cavity while the cover is removed, making up said clamping means and the connection with the waste water discharge opening, and securing said cover to the housing to close the cavity and conceal the trapway.

6. A toilet bowl assembly as set forth in claim 5 wherein said clamping means comprises a strap extending around the end of the trapway, and a threaded clamp operable to tightening said strap around the end of the trapway to cause the latter to seal itself against said waste water outlet means.

7. A water closet assembly comprising a plastic housing having a portion formed as a bowl and another portion formed as a base, said portions having rear extensions formed to define at least in part a cavity adjacent said bowl portion, said bowl portion having waste water outlet means communicating with said cavity, said rear extension of said base portion having a waste water discharge opening therein, a preformed trapway within said housing cavity, said trapway having one end arranged to form a continuation of said waste water outlet means, securing means within said housing cavity connecting and sealing said one end of said trapway to said waste water outlet means, the other end of said trapway being arranged to terminate adjacent to said water discharge opening such that exit of waste water from the housing is facilitated by and through said waste water discharge opening, means on said extension of the housing base portion adjacent said waste water discharge opening facilitating connection of said housing to an external conduit conducting waste water from said trapway, and a cover carried on said bowl and base portions independently of said securing means enclosing said cavity and concealing and providing access to said trapway and said securing means within the cavity.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 285,924 Putnam Oct. 2, 1883 569,790 Loring Oct. 20, 1896 1,109,636 Price Sept. 1, 1914 1,253,506 Madden Ian. 15, 1918 1,330,588 Hill Feb. 10, 1920 1,435,644 Kelly Nov. 14, 1922 2,212,538 Groeniger Aug. 27, 1940 

1. A WATER CLOSET ASSEMBLY, COMPRISING AN INTEGRAL HOUSING HAVING A PORTION FORMED AS A BOWL, AND ANOTHER PORTION FORMED AS A BASE, EACH OF SAID PORTIONS HAVING REAR EXTENSIONS FORMED TO DEFINE AT LEAST IN PART A CAVITY ADJACENT SAID BOWL PORTION, SAID BOWL PORTION HAVING A WASTE WATER OUTLET, A CONDUIT EXTENSION FORMED INTEGRALLY WITH SAID BOWL PORTION AND EXTENDING INTO SAID CAVITY, SAID REAR EXTENSION OF SAID BASE PORTION HAVING A WASTE WATER DISCHARGE OPENING THEREIN, A PERFORMED TRAPWAY OF A GENERALLY INVERTED U-SHAPED CONFIGURATION WITHIN SAID HOUSING CAVITY, SAID TRAPWAY HAVING ONE END ARRANGED TO FORM A CONTINUATION OF SAID CONDUIT EXTENSION, CLAMPING MEANS WITHIN SAID HOUSING CAVITY CONNECTING AND SEALING SAID END OF SAID TRAPWAY TO SAID CONDUIT EXTENSION, THE OTHER END OF SAID TRAPWAY BEING ARRANGED TO TERMINATE ADJACENT TO SAID WASTE WATER DISCHARGE OPENING SUCH THAT EXIT OF WASTE WATER FROM THE HOUSING IS FACILITATED BY SAID WASTE WATER DISCHARGE OPENING, MEANS ON SAID EXTENSION OF THE HOUSING BASE PORTION ADJACENT SAID WASTE WATER DISCHARGE OPENING FACILITATING CONNECTING OF SAID HOUSING TO AN EXTERNAL CONDUIT CONDUCTING WASTE WATER FROM SAID TRAPWAY, AND A COVER CARRIED ON SAID BOWL AND BASE PORTIONS ENCLOSING SAID CAVITY AND CONCEALING AND PROVIDING ACCESS TO SAID TRAPWAY AND SAID CLAMPING MEANS WITHIN THE CAVITY. 